Aunties Rule

Ruby and Owen were also blessed with visits from their Mulliken/Voss Aunts.  Mindy drove from Steamboat twice actually, once while my mom was here and once while Tina was here.  We ventured into Park City to take in the sites and eat pizza, we walked the neighborhood and, of course, spent lots of time holding and loving the new additions.  Rooster and OT love their aunts!  They fell asleep in their arms, smiled at their antics, and cried when they left. ;)  It is so special, for me especially, to share this joy with my sisters. We are very grateful they made the time and effort to come stay with us for a bit and got into our new schedules of nap times and early bed times.

We love you!

 Mindy and Owen on the left.  Mindy, Ruby, and her boyfriend Bo on the right (Mindy's boyfriend that is- Ruby is going to probably have her fair share, but she is just  a little young for that right now)

 Tina was not afraid.  She suited up in winter gear, strapped on babies, and hiked around the neighborhood almost every day.  She is holding Owen in pink here (real men wear pink) and cuddling with him on the couch.  Tina is holding Ruby in the middle and lulled Owen to sleep on the far right.

And, I just can't help myself.  Here is another collage of some of my favorite shots of Owen from the past few weeks.  Some of them taken by the aunties.  :)

Finally, my favorites of Ruby as well.  She is rocking the tummy time.  I used to wonder why parents took so many photos of their kids on their tummies lifting their heads- not always the cutest position in my opinion (although the B&W one of Ruby is pretty cute I have to say- nice one, Chip).  But now, I get it.  It is one of the coolest things to watch your baby lift and hold their head on their own.  Such a simple movement has stirred such awe and excitement in us.  I am sure it is just the beginning of many such events. 

This is awesome.

"Only an aunt can give hugs like a mother, keep secrets like a sister and share love like a friend." 

-anonymous 

Catch Up

I have some catch up to do.  Owen and Ruby are 8.5 WEEKS old and the last pictures I posted are from when they were 8 DAYS old.  So, forgive all the collages, but we have about a bazillion pictures of these two little gems and I want to share as many of them with you as possible.  As usual, click on any of the collages to make them fill the screen (and almost be life size of the babies. :))  

 In this collage I attempted to capture the many expressions of Owen Thomas DuRoss.  His defined features communicate all kinds of emotions from complete peace to frustration, pensiveness, and many more.

Ruby Elizabeth DuRoss, loves to be held and makes it worth your while.  She gazes into your eyes, smiles, and seems to create a sense of peacefulness in the holder.

Check these two out.  Too much.  This one is worth enlarging to check out their expressions and interactions.  We are loving getting to know each of them individually, but also how their personalities mesh and compliment each other.

As I mentioned, Ruby loves to gaze into your eyes.  But when her daddy holds her, the gaze becomes one of awe and adoration. I can't get enough of it- melts my heart.

This is all of us (including Kessler) trying our hand at holding both of them at the same time.  It is possible, but not easy. ;)

The next few collages capture some of the month my mom spent with us.  We feel extremely grateful and fortunate that she was able to come and help us make it through the early days with the twins.  We sustained nights of simultaneous fussy babies and grappled with what parenting style to embrace- pacifiers? napping? schedule? how much crying IS okay?  And, by the end of our time together we were getting out on the town pretty regularly, walking around the neighborhood daily, and Chip and I even got out for a quick backcountry ski lap in the "backyard" while my mom watched the twins.  My mom filled the freezer with food (picture of rouladin factory below) and held the babies no matter their mood.  In fact, she made an art of putting them to sleep (even when sometimes I wanted them awake ;) as evidenced by the collage above.   They must have sensed her confidence with twins (for those of you who don't know, my mom is also a mother of twins).  

We were SO sad to see her go and hope she visits again soon.  We will miss our afternoon Starbucks, walks around the neighborhood, and delicious dinners prepared and served up.  Mostly we will miss her loving our kids in person- walking around with them in her arms repeating phrases like "Ruby loves Oma, Ruby loves Owen, etc.", singing German songs, and trying to get Owen to like those darn flash cards.

Owen and Oma checkin the weather out our front windows.  "What do you think, Owen, walk in the stroller or carriers today?"

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?  ~Milton Berle

The Photo Shoot

Owen and Ruby DuRoss

8 Days Old

Photos by: Julie Shipman

Salt Lake City, Utah

(to view larger images, click 'em!)